U.S. patent application number 15/132558 was filed with the patent office on 2017-10-19 for insect light trap with light transmissive glue board.
The applicant listed for this patent is GARDNER MANUFACTURING CO., INC.. Invention is credited to Timothy M. Jones, Bruce R. Studer.
Application Number | 20170295771 15/132558 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 60039910 |
Filed Date | 2017-10-19 |
United States Patent
Application |
20170295771 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Studer; Bruce R. ; et
al. |
October 19, 2017 |
INSECT LIGHT TRAP WITH LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE GLUE BOARD
Abstract
Insect capture is improved by providing a glue board having an
adhesive coating on its front surface and forming a pattern of
insect attractant. UV light on that front surface. That pattern
includes areas of bright UV light generated by light-emitting
diodes behind and visible through the glue board by flying insect,
dimmer areas of UV light that bounces off other portions of the
device onto the glue board, and areas of shadow on the glue board
where no or little UV light is present.
Inventors: |
Studer; Bruce R.;
(Germantown, WI) ; Jones; Timothy M.; (Phoenix,
AZ) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
GARDNER MANUFACTURING CO., INC. |
Horicon |
WI |
US |
|
|
Family ID: |
60039910 |
Appl. No.: |
15/132558 |
Filed: |
April 19, 2016 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
F21Y 2101/00 20130101;
A01M 1/04 20130101; A01M 1/145 20130101; A01M 1/106 20130101 |
International
Class: |
A01M 1/14 20060101
A01M001/14; A01M 1/04 20060101 A01M001/04; A01M 1/10 20060101
A01M001/10; F21V 23/06 20060101 F21V023/06 |
Claims
1. An insect trap comprising: a) an electronic circuit including a
plurality of spaced apart light-emitting diodes adapted to emit
light in the ultraviolet range of the light spectrum; b) a glue
board including a substrate having a front side and back side, and
an adhesive layer coating a selected portion of the front side,
wherein the glue board is adapted to permit light to pass through
the glue board; and c) a housing adapted to hold the electronic
circuit and the glue board so that the front side of the glue board
faces away from the electronic circuit and the light-emitting
diodes of the electronic circuit are visible through the glue
board, said housing having a front panel including openings defined
by closed sections having edges, said openings adapted to permit
flying insects to enter the trap through such openings and to
permit the adhesive layer of the glue board to be viewed through
such openings by flying insects, and said closed sections adapted
to cause at least some of the light from the light-emitting diodes
reaching the closed sections to bounce off the closed sections and
on to the adhesive layer of the glue board, wherein when the
adhesive layer of the glue board is viewed through the openings by
flying insects a pattern is presented comprising bright direct
ultraviolet light from the light-emitting diodes, dimmer bounced
ultraviolet light, and shadows.
2. The insect trap of claim 1 wherein ultraviolet light passes
through the glue board by way of a plurality of spaced apart
perforations extending through the glue board and adapted to permit
said light to pass through the glue board.
3. The insect trap of claim 1 wherein said electronic circuit is
adapted to be powered by household electrical current.
4. The insect trap of claim 3 wherein the housing as a flat surface
with prongs projecting therefrom, said prongs adapted to mate with
a standard household electrical socket to power the electronic
circuit and support the insect trap.
5. The insect trap of claim 1 wherein at least some portion of the
ultraviolet light emitted by the light-emitting diodes illuminates
the edge of the openings.
6. The insect light trap of claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer is
light transmissive.
7. The insect light trap of claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer
diffuses some of the light reaching the adhesive layer.
8. The insect light trap of claim 1 wherein said light-emitting
diodes are arranges in a pattern.
9. The insect light trap of claim 8 wherein the pattern comprises
at least two rows.
10. The insect light trap of claim 2 wherein said light-emitting
diodes are arranges in a pattern and said perforations are arranged
in the same pattern.
11. The insect light trap of claim 1 wherein said light-emitting
diodes emit light in both the UV and visible portions of the light
spectrum.
12. The insect light trap of claim 1 wherein the openings are
elongated.
13. The insect light trap of claim 1 wherein the housing has at
least one opening through which the glue board can be removed and
replaced without removing any part of the housing.
14. The insect light trap of claim 1 wherein the glue board is made
of an ultraviolet translucent material.
15. The insect light trap of claim 1 wherein the adhesive layer
provides a glossy finish to the front surface of the glue
board.
16. An insect trap comprising: a) an electronic circuit including a
plurality of spaced apart light-emitting diodes adapted to emit
light in the ultraviolet range of the light spectrum; b) a glue
board including a substrate having a front side and back side, and
an adhesive layer coating a selected portion of the front side,
wherein the glue board is adapted to permit light to pass through
the glue board via a plurality of spaced apart perforations
extending through the glue board; and c) a housing adapted to hold
the electronic circuit and the glue board so that the front side of
the glue board faces away from the electronic circuit and the
light-emitting diodes of the electronic circuit are visible through
the perforations of the glue board, said housing having a front
panel including openings defined by closed sections having edges,
said openings adapted to permit flying insects to enter the trap
through such openings and to permit the adhesive layer of the glue
board to be viewed by flying insects through such openings, and
said closed sections adapted to cause at least some of the light
from the light-emitting diodes reaching the closed sections to
bounce off the closed sections and on to the adhesive layer of the
glue board, wherein when the adhesive layer of the glue board is
viewed by flying insects through the openings a pattern comprising
bright direct light from the light-emitting diodes and dimmer
bounced light, and shadows is visible to the flying insects.
17. The insect light trap of claim 16 wherein the front surface is
black.
18. The insect light trap of claim 17 wherein the adhesive layer
provides a glossy finish to the front surface of the glue
board.
19. The insect light trap of claim 16 wherein said light-emitting
diodes are arranges in a pattern and said perforations are arranged
in the same pattern.
20. The insect trap of claim 16 wherein the housing as a flat
surface with prongs projecting therefrom, said prongs adapted to
mate with a standard household electrical socket to power the
electronic circuit and support the insect trap.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCED TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] Not applicable.
STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT
[0002] Not applicable.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
I. Field of the Invention
[0003] The present invention relates generally to insect traps.
More specifically, the present invention relates to improvements to
insect traps employing a light source as an insect attractant and a
glue board as an insect capture device.
II. Discussion of Related Art
[0004] Those skilled in the art know that light provides an
effective insect attractant and that light in the ultraviolet
("UV") range of the light spectrum is particularly attractive to
many flying insects. UV light is light having a wave length
generally in the range of 100 to 400 nanometers.
[0005] Based on this phenomena, designers of insect light traps
have often employed fluorescent tubes incorporating phosphor that
predominantly emits UV light instead of white light visible to
humans. One advantage of such fluorescent UV tubes is that they can
be "tuned" to give off peak light in very narrow UV ranges based
upon the phosphor selected. For example, europium-doped strontium
fluoroborate phosphor will produce a peak emission of light in the
368 to 371 nanometer range while lead-doped barium silicate
phosphor will produce a peak emission of light in the 350 to 353
nanometer range. However, energy consumption by such light sources
and disposal of such light sources create environmental issues.
Health concerns can also arise if the fluorescent tube breaks and
its contents are inhaled or ingested.
[0006] Those skilled in the art also know that an insect trap must
not only lure the insects to the trap, but must also either capture
or kill the insects that are lured to the trap. Four basic methods
are used. First, electrical grids that electrocute the insects
coming into contact with the grid have been used. These, however,
are entirely unsuitable for restaurants and other areas where food
is prepared or served due to splatter of bug parts. Second, various
poisons have been employed, but the use of a poison is unacceptable
where young children are present who might ingest the poison.
Third, various mechanisms have been employed to move the insects
into chambers from which the insect cannot escape. For flying
insects, this technique typically involves the use of fans that
create an airflow or current drawing the insects into a chamber and
then preventing the insects from escaping. Fourth, adhesive
surfaces such as those of glue boards have been used. Glue boards
are generally safe, but a glue board coated with flying insects is
generally unsightly and unpleasant to look at. Also, if the light
source is any distance from the glue board, insects attracted to
the light source may never come into contact with the glue board
and, thus, may fly away without being captured.
[0007] In view of the foregoing, there is a real need for
improvements in flying insect trap design, both in terms of insect
attraction and capture.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0008] The present invention relates to insect traps including a
light source, a glue board and a housing. The light source
comprises an electronic circuit including a plurality of spaced
apart light-emitting diodes adapted to emit light in the
ultraviolet range of the light spectrum. The glue board includes a
substrate having front and back sides and an adhesive layer coating
a selected portion of the front side. The glue board is adapted to
permit UV light to pass through the glue board. This can be
achieved by making the glue board out of UV transparent or UV
translucent materials, or perforating the glue board if the
substrate is made of a material otherwise opaque to UV light.
[0009] The housing is adapted to hold the electronic circuit and
the glue board so that the front side of the glue board coated with
the adhesive faces away from the electronic circuit and the
light-emitting diodes emit UV light through the glue board. The
housing also has a front panel including openings defined by closed
sections having edges. The openings permit flying insects to enter
the trap through such openings. The openings also permit the
adhesive layer of the glue board to be viewed through such openings
by flying insects. The closed sections are adapted to cause at
least some of the light from the light-emitting diodes reaching the
closed sections to bounce off the closed sections and on to the
adhesive layer coating a portion of the front surface of the glue
board. The closed sections also serve to at least partially mask
from the view of humans standing or sitting in the room insects
stuck to the glue board.
[0010] When a trap having the above-described features is in use
and the adhesive layer of the glue board is viewed by flying
insects through the openings in the front panel of the housing, a
pattern is presented on the glue board comprising bright direct UV
light from the light-emitting diodes, dimmer bounced UV light and
shadows.
[0011] The various components described above may include other
features. The electronic circuit may be adapted to be powered by
household current. The electronic circuit may be coupled to prongs
projecting directly from a flat surface on the back of the housing
and adapted to be plugged into a standard electrical socket such
that the prongs not only supply power to the circuit, but also
physically support the insect trap. Alternatively, a battery may
power the electrical circuit and an alternative mounting means may
be employed to hang the trap on a wall, ceiling or other stable
structure.
[0012] Also, the light-emitting diodes of the circuit may be
arranged in a pattern. That pattern may comprise at least two rows
of light-emitting diodes. When the glue board has perforations,
those perforations may be arranged in the same pattern as the
pattern of the light-emitting diodes. The light-emitting diodes may
also be adapted to emit light in both the ultraviolet and visible
light ranges. The electrical circuit comprising the light-emitting
diodes may also be designed to cause the light-emitting diodes to
selectively dim and brighten or cycle on and off to increase insect
attraction.
[0013] The glue board may be UV transparent or UV translucent.
Alternatively, the glue board may be generally UV opaque, but have
perforations which enable UV light to pass through the glue board.
If generally UV opaque with perforations, the glue board may be
colored black to partially mask from the human eye any insects
stuck to the glue board. Otherwise, humans could see the insects
due to the presence of ambient light even though humans cannot see
the UV light generated by the light-emitting diodes. The adhesive
may be selected to provide a glossy surface to increase insect
attraction or to provide a matte surface to better hide the
captured insects from the view of humans. The substrate or adhesive
may be smooth to cause the UV light to bounce off the glue board in
a specular manner, or may be textured to cause the UV light to
bounce off the glue board in a more diffuse manner.
[0014] The housing may have an opening that permits the glue board
to be quickly and easily removed and replaced without removing any
portion of the housing. Also, the edges of the openings in the
front of the housing may be adapted to be illuminated by the
light-emitting diodes to essentially frame the openings with insect
attractant light.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0015] The features and attributes which may be employed to
practice the present invention will be better understood from a
review of the detailed description provided below in conjunction
with the accompanying drawings.
[0016] FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing the front of a flying
insect trap;
[0017] FIG. 2 is a perspective view showing the back of the trap of
FIG. 1;
[0018] FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing the top of the trap of
FIG. 1;
[0019] FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the trap of FIG. 1 with the
glue board partially removed from the housing;
[0020] FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the trap of FIG. 1 with the
glue board entirely removed from the housing;
[0021] FIG. 6; is a schematic view of one example of a circuit that
may be used to generate insect attracting light; and
[0022] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the glue board of the
insect trap of FIG. 1.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0023] This description of the preferred embodiment is intended to
be read in connection with the accompanying drawings, which are to
be considered part of the entire written description of this
invention. In the description, relative terms such as "lower",
"upper", "horizontal", "vertical", "above", "below", "up", "down",
"top" and "bottom", "under", as well as derivatives thereof (e.g.,
"horizontally", "downwardly", "upwardly", "underside", etc.) should
be construed to refer to the orientation as then described or as
shown in the drawings under discussion. These relative terms are
for convenience of description and do not require that the
apparatus be constructed or operated in a particular orientation.
Terms such as "connected", "connecting", "attached", "attaching",
"joined", and "joining" are used interchangeably and refer to one
structure or surface being secured to another structure or surface
or integrally fabricated in one piece unless expressly described
otherwise.
[0024] The flying insect trap 1 shown in the drawings comprises a
housing 10, a glue board 50, and an electronic circuit 70. These
elements combine to provide a unique display of insect attractant
light directly on the front side 52 of the glue board 50. An
adhesive coating 54 on the front side 52 of the glue board 50
captures any insects coming into contact with the front side 52 of
the glue board 50.
[0025] The housing 10 shown in the drawings has a back compartment
12 in which electronic circuit 70 is stored. The back compartment
12 comprises a back wall 14. The back wall 14 has a flat surface
and two electrical prongs 16 and 18 project from this flat surface.
While the drawings show the entire back wall 14 to be flat, this is
not necessary. For example, the portion of the back wall 14
surrounding the prongs 16 and 18 could be a generally flat surface
with other portions of the wall being at an angle from, parallel
to, or even having a contour other than the flat surface. The
prongs 16 and 18 provide two functions when plugged into a standard
electrical outlet (not shown) supplying household current. First,
the prongs 16 and 18 supply electrical energy to the electronic
circuit 70. Second, the prongs 16 and 18 support the entire insect
traps 1.
[0026] The back compartment 12 has two side walls 20 and 22, a top
wall 24, and a bottom wall 26. The bottom wall includes an
extension 28 that prevents the glue board 50 from falling out the
bottom of the housing 10. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the back
compartment 12 also includes a front wall 30. As shown, the front
wall has six round openings 32. Light-emitting diodes 72-82 are
visible through the openings 32. The shape and number of these
openings may vary without deviating from the invention.
[0027] In addition to the back compartment 12, the housing 10 has a
front panel 34. The front panel 34 may be integrally formed with,
permanently adhered to, or temporarily fastened to the back
compartment 12. As shown in the drawings, the front panel 34 is
coupled at its opposite edges to the two side walls 20 and 22 of
compartment 12 and bows outwardly from the two side walls 20 and
22. This provides a large top opening 36 through which glue board
50 can be inserted, removed and replaced. While there is a similar
opening 38 at the bottom, the extension 28 of the bottom wall 26 of
back compartment 12 reduces the size of the bottom opening 38
preventing the glue board from dropping out the bottom of the trap
1 when the trap 1 is plugged into an electrical outlet.
[0028] The front panel 34 also includes a plurality of openings 40
defined by closed sections 42 having edges 44. The openings 40 and
closed sections 42 are each generally elongate extending from side
wall 20 to side wall 22. The openings 40 permit insects to enter
and light to exit the trap. The openings 40 also permit the flying
insect to view the insect attractant light display described below
that is presented on the glue board 50. The closed sections 42
interfere with the ability of people to readily view any insects
trapped on the glue board 50, prevent young children from touching
the glue board 50 and the insects adhered to the adhesive layer 54
of glue board 50, and also help provide a display of light on the
front surface 52 of glue board 50 that is highly attractive to
flying insects.
[0029] Glue board 50 comprises a substrate 51 and has a front side
52 and a back side 53, An adhesive layer 54 on the front side 52
coats a selected portion of the substrate 51. As shown in FIG. 6,
the edges 56 of the substrate 51 are left uncoated so a user need
not touch the adhesive layer 54 when replacing the glue board 50.
The features of the glue board 50 discussed above are common to
many glue boards offered by pest control device manufacturers.
However, glue board 50 has distinguishing features. As shown in the
drawings, the glue board 50 is adapted to permit UV light to pass
through the glue board 50. This is achieved either by making the
substrate of a UV light transmissive material (i.e., a UV
transparent or a UV translucent material) or, as shown, by
including a plurality of perforation 58 extending through at least
the substrate 51.
[0030] Examples of such UV light transmissive materials include
fused silica, calcium fluoride, magnesium fluoride and various
acrylic sheets such as Acrylite Op-4 sold by GYRO Industries of
Parsippany, N.J. These materials tend to be relatively expensive,
so the less expensive option of perforating the substrates
typically employed to construct glue boards may be preferred in
certain situations. The number, position and shape of the
perforations 58 correspond to the openings 32 in the front wall 30
of back compartment 12. When the glue board 50 is positioned in the
housing 10, each perforation 58 is aligned with one of the openings
32 to provide pathways for UV light to exit the back compartment 12
and pass through the glue board 50.
[0031] The UV light referenced above is generated by electronic
circuit 70. As shown in FIG. 6, the circuit 70 comprises six
separate light-emitting diodes 72-82. The circuit further includes
resistors 84, 86 and 88, capacitors 90 and 92 and a full waive
rectifier bridge 94. Bridge 94 converts to direct current the 120v
alternating current supplied to the prongs 16 and 18 by the
electrical outlet (not shown). The various resistors and capacitors
control the delivery of electrical energy to the light-emitting
diodes 72-82.
[0032] The electrical circuit 70 is adapted to fit in the back
compartment 12 of the housing 10 so that the light-emitting diodes
72-82 are aligned with the openings 32 through the front wall 30 of
back compartment 12. As such, light emitted by the light-emitting
diodes can pass through openings 32, the perforations 58 of the
glue board 50 when the glue board 50 is positioned in housing 10,
and through openings 40 in the front panel 34 of housing 10. The
light-emitting diodes 72-82 are of a type that generate peak output
in the UV light range which is most attractive to flying insects.
The circuit 70 may also be adapted to selectively dim and brighten
the light-emitting diodes 72-82 (or to cycle them on and off) in a
controlled sequence to increase insect attraction. The circuit may
also be adapted to be powered by a battery supplying DC
current.
[0033] The combination of elements described above is highly
advantageous because it presents a light pattern on the front
surface 52 of the glue board 50 that is highly attractive to flying
insects. That pattern includes areas of bright direct UV light from
the light-emitting diodes 72-82 that passes through openings 40 in
the front panel 34, perforations 58 through the glue board 50 and
openings 32 in the front wall 30 of the housing 10. That pattern
also includes areas of dimmer UV light which travels from the
light-emitting diodes 72-82 to the closed sections 42 of the front
panel and bounces off the front panel back to the front surface 52
of the glue board 10. That pattern also includes areas of shadow on
the front surface 52 of the glue board 50 where no or minimal
direct or bounced UV light reaches the front of the glue board
50.
[0034] As noted above, the closed sections 42 of the front panel 34
have edges 44. The edges 44 are also illuminated by the
light-emitting diodes 72-82 which is believed to aid in insect
attractancy. The edges 44 frame the openings 40.
[0035] Further, the adhesive layer 54 on the front surface 52 of
glue board 50 may be modified in various ways to enhance insect
attractancy. The adhesive layer can be light transmissive in the UV
range so that light from the light-emitting diodes 72-82 can travel
through this layer. This is particularly important if the adhesive
layer covers the perforations 58 or if the substrate 51 is made of
a UV transparent or UV translucent material. The adhesive layer 54
can be made to diffuse the UV light or to cause the UV light to
bounce off the front surface of the glue board 50 in a specular
manner. Either of these effects can be achieved by modifying the
chemistry of the adhesive material used or the physical nature of
the adhesive surface. A rough surface will tend to diffuse the UV
light. A smooth surface will act like a mirror.
[0036] Still further, the glue board 50 (or either the substrate or
adhesive layer) may be stamped or otherwise textured with a
preselected pattern of depressions and ridges that cause brighter
and dimmer areas of UV light on the front surface 52 of the glue
board 50. These ridges and depressions may also be arranged to
provide either sharp or blurred lines of demarcation between areas
of shadow and light.
[0037] Likewise, the light-emitting diodes may be randomly arranged
or arranged in any suitable pattern for achieving insect
attraction. The pattern may, for example, include two rows of
light-emitting diodes, as illustrated. The pattern of holes 32 in
the front wall 30 of the back compartment 12 and the pattern of the
perforations 58 in the glue board should match the selected pattern
of the light-emitting diodes 72-82. Likewise, the number, size,
shape and arrangement of light-emitting diodes (and openings)
should be adapted to that UV light is still present even if one of
the perforations is blocked by the body of a captured insect.
[0038] Various advantages arise from the trap described above.
First, the light-emitting diodes 72-82 generate intense UV light
without requiring much in the way of electrical power. Second, the
glue board 50 is easily replaced. Third, the openings 40 in the
front panel 34 are large enough to permit flying insects to see the
insect attractive UV light display on the front surface of the glue
board, yet small enough such that the closed sections 42
effectively prevent children from reaching into the trap. Likewise,
the closed sections 42 generally block from human view any insects
stuck to the adhesive surface of the glue board 50. This is
particularly true when the user is at a standing or seated position
because of the height at which electrical outlets are typically
mounted.
[0039] In the embodiment described above, the insect attractant
light pattern is on the glue board itself. Thus, insects attracted
by the pattern are more likely to come into contact with the
adhesive surface of glue board 50 than if the pattern is some
distance from the glue board as is the case with prior art insect
traps employing a glue board.
[0040] The foregoing description is intended to explain the various
features and advantages, but is not intended to be limiting. The
scope of the invention is defined by the following claims which are
also intended to cover a reasonable range of equivalents.
* * * * *